Lesson planning:

These days it is essential that every lesson comes from a wider scheme of work and has its own lesson plan – with clearly outlined aims and learning objectives – preferably with differentiation for varied abilities written in.

Even though SRE is not a compulsory subject, and many of the essential topics outlined here are not part of the National curriculum or even the national guidance for SRE – doesn’t remove the need for ever session to be well planned and have their place in the wider curriculum. Indeed, I am sure that your senior management insist that all sessions have supportive paperwork and schemes of work – which in turn should be in line with the information set out in the schools SRE policy.

Yes, Ofsted do insist that your school has an up to date SRE policy that outlines the schools ethos for SRE and the teaching of the subject. As part of this programme we have developed our own template to help you in bringing your schools policy up to date, and to reflect the approach set out in this programme. Use this document to help: RY.Policy Template(2017)

This is all well and good, however, as you are probably well aware, I am a big advocate of sessions that are young person focused and young person led… which raises the issue of how do you write a scheme of work with specific lesson plans if you don’t know what the young people in each session will bring up lesson by lesson…?!?

Just because something is young person led, doesn’t mean you won’t have a plan and a list of specific topics you are hoping to cover. Indeed, with a bit of practice, you will notice that certain starting points will always bring out particular questions or trains of thought, the trick is allow young people to bring each topic up in their own time and in their own way.

Below you will find a selection of sample lesson plans that are designed to meet specific learning objectives in the programme plan. We will keep adding more as time goes on – so keep your a look out for new work posted here on the blog.

Before I leave you to look at how the session plans have been put together in an effort to balance the need to have a clear plan and also allow the sessions to be young person led – let me explain one of my favourite techniques for achieving this somewhat contradictory aim….

I am a big fan of exploring questions of what could be called sexual ethics. These are often open ended questions that don’t really have a firm answer. Instead it is an opportunity for young people to explore their own and other’s attitudes and beliefs in term of a specific question. For example…

“if a girl is dressed ‘like that’ and get’s drunk, it’s her own fault if someone get’s the wrong idea…”

I find that it works best if the statement is a little contentious… people seem more enthusiastic to get involved… but there is fine line between contentious and offensive – there needs to be a reason behind the statement and not merely an opportunity to be controversial…

Using a statement like this is quite useful – firstly it acts as a needs assessment as young people will bring to the table their existing knowledge – you will be able to see where the gaps are but also which views may need to be explored in more detail or outright challenged.

Secondly, it allows young people to push the conversation in a direction of their choosing – a direction that is more relevant to them. So, with the example above – the conversation often flows in a number of different directions…

– sometimes it is about the law with a focus on any high profile trials young people may have come across in the media – at writing Ched Evans and Brock Turner are just two current examples…

– sometimes the focus is more on women’s right to wear what they like –

– rape culture and victim blaming

– the double standards of how young men and young women are viewed when it comes to sex – girls as slags/slappers and boys as lad/players

– exploration of consent.

A typical session will cover some if not all of the above in a variety of fashions with the emphasis pulled in different direction depending on the group. Not all groups will cover everything – however, I know that if I start off with a particular point the group will automatically bring up the key topic I wish to discuss plus a handful of options that they think are important.

I then have the option to pick up each of these threads and run with them – and often one will lead to another so as long as I am prepared with a jigsaw of options of what I am hoping to cover – it doesn’t really what order the pieces fit together…

In my experience, young people find this approach quite liberating – there isn’t necessarily a right or wrong answer – The world is not split in to black and white answers and too often we leave young people in situations where their contributions are either right or wrong, this allows them so much more freedom to explore a topic without the fear of being correct or not.

Finally, at the end of a meandering session – you can return to the original question and see if opinions have changed…

For a list of Sexual ethic starting point questions and discussions click here….

Powerpoint Lesson plans… Keep checking as more will be added as time goes on…

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